G35 totaled - advice on getting best price from ins. co.?
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G35 totaled - advice on getting best price from ins. co.?
Hey all,
My G35 got t-boned last weekend by a driver that ran a red light. Fortunately I walked away uninjured. The insurance appraiser left me a voicemail saying they're planning to total the car and that the claims people will get in touch this week to follow-up. I'm looking for advice on how to ensure that I get the best price from them. Presently I'm dealing with my insurance company, Liberty Mutual. I'm assuming they'll sort things out with me and then deal with the other driver's insurance co.
My G35 is a 2004 5AT coupe with all the options except for NAV and SAT and just 41000 miles on it. I'm the first and only owner. The car was in excellent mechanical condition and the interior was in excellent condition. The exterior had only a few minor imperfections: some small stone chips on one fender and the roof, some very small chips on the driver door (caused by an egg), and a light scuff on the rear bumper that was relatively new and I suspect would have buffed out. No dents, dings or scrapes other than that. Years ago the car had some minor body/paintwork done as repairs for a couple of very minor accidents (the worst damage was a softball sized dent in the quarterpanel). It's mostly stock with the exception of a Fujitsubo exhaust which was installed a year ago (I have receipts).
I've checked the KBB value and that ranges from $17.5k for very good condition (taking into account the minor cosmetic damage and the previous bodywork). I've also checked AutoTrader, cars.com, and Yahoo Auto for 2003-2005 coupes with similar mileage and found them selling for an average of $17-18k.
I'm hoping they'll make an offer in that range, but want to be prepared in case I need to negotiate. I'd appreciate any advice people have for dealing with ins. co's. in these situations.
For those interested in the gory details of the accident, when my light turned green the intersection looked clear and it wasn't until about 5 seconds later, after I had crossed 4 traffic lanes that a car ran the red light and plowed into the passenger side of my G. I imagine they must have braked and slowed somewhat because the collision only felt as hard as bumper cars at the amusement park. As you can seen in the pics, however, the fender and door were pretty badly crushed and the side airbags went off on the passenger side. Once the body shop got the door and the fender off it became apparent that the A-pillar had crumpled by the lower door hinge. The combination of the work to repair that and the cost of the replacing the airbags and seat was, apparently, just enough to meet the threshold for the car to be totaled.
best,
-Bob
My G35 got t-boned last weekend by a driver that ran a red light. Fortunately I walked away uninjured. The insurance appraiser left me a voicemail saying they're planning to total the car and that the claims people will get in touch this week to follow-up. I'm looking for advice on how to ensure that I get the best price from them. Presently I'm dealing with my insurance company, Liberty Mutual. I'm assuming they'll sort things out with me and then deal with the other driver's insurance co.
My G35 is a 2004 5AT coupe with all the options except for NAV and SAT and just 41000 miles on it. I'm the first and only owner. The car was in excellent mechanical condition and the interior was in excellent condition. The exterior had only a few minor imperfections: some small stone chips on one fender and the roof, some very small chips on the driver door (caused by an egg), and a light scuff on the rear bumper that was relatively new and I suspect would have buffed out. No dents, dings or scrapes other than that. Years ago the car had some minor body/paintwork done as repairs for a couple of very minor accidents (the worst damage was a softball sized dent in the quarterpanel). It's mostly stock with the exception of a Fujitsubo exhaust which was installed a year ago (I have receipts).
I've checked the KBB value and that ranges from $17.5k for very good condition (taking into account the minor cosmetic damage and the previous bodywork). I've also checked AutoTrader, cars.com, and Yahoo Auto for 2003-2005 coupes with similar mileage and found them selling for an average of $17-18k.
I'm hoping they'll make an offer in that range, but want to be prepared in case I need to negotiate. I'd appreciate any advice people have for dealing with ins. co's. in these situations.
For those interested in the gory details of the accident, when my light turned green the intersection looked clear and it wasn't until about 5 seconds later, after I had crossed 4 traffic lanes that a car ran the red light and plowed into the passenger side of my G. I imagine they must have braked and slowed somewhat because the collision only felt as hard as bumper cars at the amusement park. As you can seen in the pics, however, the fender and door were pretty badly crushed and the side airbags went off on the passenger side. Once the body shop got the door and the fender off it became apparent that the A-pillar had crumpled by the lower door hinge. The combination of the work to repair that and the cost of the replacing the airbags and seat was, apparently, just enough to meet the threshold for the car to be totaled.
best,
-Bob
Don't know if they'll offer you $17K for it, there are some with similar mileage for $15,900. If they don't ask too much for it, try to buy it back from your insurance and part it out. I'd be interested in some of those interior parts.
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Update...
I realize this thread has been silent for a month, but just wanted to post an update for anyone who might come across the thread in the future by a search...
It took a while to get all the necessary paperwork done and get a check, but that finally happened last week. I was very pleased that my insurance company, Liberty Mutual, ended up offering just below the KBB value for excellent condition, which was $18k. For anyone trying to compare, I did not have the "better car replacement" option on my plan, and their "new car replacement" wasn't applicable.
At that point I brought up the Fujitsubo SS exhaust, but they made very clear that they wouldn't offer anything for that because they considered it to be a personal customization. As a last attempt to get them to reimburse me for it I told them that because they couldn't reimburse me for it I wanted to remove it from the vehicle. To my surprise they said to "go ahead" and they didn't even care if I replaced it with a used stock exhaust. I would have preferred to just get money for it, but at least it only took about 30 minutes to take it off the car because it had been installed so recently.
Hope this helps for anyone else who find themselves in a similar situation.
To answer the one question someone replied with, the other driver did not appear to be impaired in any way. Obvously they were not paying attention, but I have no idea what may have been distracting them.
best,
-Bob
P.S. The exhaust will be appearing on the board's For Sale section once I get a chance to clean it up and get new gaskets for it.
[Edit]
P.P.S. I couldn't resist starting the car up and revving the engine a few times in the body shop after I'd pulled the exhaust off -- The G35 sounds incredible with open cats
It took a while to get all the necessary paperwork done and get a check, but that finally happened last week. I was very pleased that my insurance company, Liberty Mutual, ended up offering just below the KBB value for excellent condition, which was $18k. For anyone trying to compare, I did not have the "better car replacement" option on my plan, and their "new car replacement" wasn't applicable.
At that point I brought up the Fujitsubo SS exhaust, but they made very clear that they wouldn't offer anything for that because they considered it to be a personal customization. As a last attempt to get them to reimburse me for it I told them that because they couldn't reimburse me for it I wanted to remove it from the vehicle. To my surprise they said to "go ahead" and they didn't even care if I replaced it with a used stock exhaust. I would have preferred to just get money for it, but at least it only took about 30 minutes to take it off the car because it had been installed so recently.
Hope this helps for anyone else who find themselves in a similar situation.
To answer the one question someone replied with, the other driver did not appear to be impaired in any way. Obvously they were not paying attention, but I have no idea what may have been distracting them.
best,
-Bob
P.S. The exhaust will be appearing on the board's For Sale section once I get a chance to clean it up and get new gaskets for it.
[Edit]
P.P.S. I couldn't resist starting the car up and revving the engine a few times in the body shop after I'd pulled the exhaust off -- The G35 sounds incredible with open cats
Last edited by rca; Nov 15, 2012 at 03:54 PM.
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When I got my G I was single and I had a good job. Now I'm in a PhD program and married with a baby on the way. I'm glad my G held it's value so well, but the stipend that I get paid doesn't go very far, so even ignoring practicality a new G (or similar) isn't an option. Also, ever since I went back to school I've commuted on the subway and my G35 has been a weekend car.
So we're going to be a one car family for a while (my wife's corolla), and when the time comes to get another car it's going to have to be something more family friendly (though an EX/FX might be an option). Still, I've already gotten my wife to give her approval to getting something fun and impractical as a third car in the not too distant future. I think I'm going to aim for a GTR
cheers,
-Bob
So we're going to be a one car family for a while (my wife's corolla), and when the time comes to get another car it's going to have to be something more family friendly (though an EX/FX might be an option). Still, I've already gotten my wife to give her approval to getting something fun and impractical as a third car in the not too distant future. I think I'm going to aim for a GTR
cheers,
-Bob
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Joined: Aug 2013
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From: NJ
My audi was totaled out by a drunk driver.The ins gave me a low ball payoff. I told them l had done alot of work on the car in the last yr. They said ok bring in the receipts for the work. He said that like yea ok l dont have any. When l gave him them a day later the payoff rose by $3000! So save all your receipts for work done.lt does help raise the value!
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